Foot for a quilting machine

ABSTRACT

A foot for a quilting machine, adapted to be used with templates. The foot is preferably generally bowl shaped, instead of disk shaped, and has substantially vertical sides of sufficient height to prevent the foot from slipping over or under a template when a user attempts to follow the outline of the template. In an alternative embodiment, the foot is substantially cylindrical in shape.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to a foot for a quilting machine. More particularly, the invention relates to a foot adapted to follow templates.

[0003] 2. Discussion of the Background

[0004] Quilts have historically been made using a needle and thread, or by using conventional sewing machines. More recently, long-arm quilting machines have been developed specifically for the purpose of sewing together the various layers needed to make a quilt. Quilting machines are distinguished from conventional sewing machines by a number of features. A long-arm quilting machine typically has a long arm supported above a bed, where the machine can be moved in various directions relative to the quilt. A machine of this kind is disclosed by Wang (U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,997). The foot employed in such a machine is generally circular, as the machine is moved both laterally and longitudinally with respect to the fabric of the quilt.

[0005] Guiding the machine by hand when making a quilt is a very exacting task, and requires great accuracy in order to produce good results. Various means have been devised to aid the operator in guiding the quilting machine. For example, one such device includes a laser light mounted at the rear of the machine and facing downwards. This can be used to enable an operator to guide the machine relative to a pattern or template. This still involves certain difficulties, as the operator must guide the machine whilst watching the spot of laser light moving relative to the pattern or template, and must still guide the machine manually.

[0006] A further device for guiding a quilting machine is disclosed by Badger (U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,236). This device includes both a fence unit and a circle transfer unit, either of which may be mounted in an adjustable manner onto a platform, making it possible, when the device is attached to the side of the quilting machine, to sew diagonal lines or circles, respectively. This device has the disadvantage that only a limited number of shapes can be sewn by the operator whilst relying on this device as a guide.

[0007] Another technique used in assisting the operator to guide the movement of the quilting machine to sew a particular shape, is to follow a template with the foot, so that the movement of the machine is constrained directly by the template itself. This technique avoids the need to guide the machine by sight, whilst also offering a wide variety of shapes, dependent only upon the availability of templates. However, considerable difficulty arises in using this method with the existing foot of the background art. Specifically, there is a tendency for the foot to slip either over, or more likely under, the template. The operator has to exercise considerable attention to prevent this problem from occurring, and if this does occur, then the resulting stitches must be removed. It is therefore not practical to use this method with the foot of the background art.

SUMMARY

[0008] The Applicant has developed a new foot for quilting machines, which overcomes the problems referred to above. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the foot is generally bowl shaped, as distinct form the disk shaped foot of the background art, and has substantially vertical sides of sufficient height to prevent the foot from slipping over or under a template when attempting to follow the outline of the template. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the foot is substantially cylindrical in shape. A more complete appreciation of the invention and the attendant advantages thereof will more readily be obtained as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the detailed description when considered with respect to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]FIG. 1 is a foot according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0010]FIG. 2 is a side view of the foot according to FIG. 1.

[0011]FIG. 3 is a foot according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.

[0012]FIG. 4 is a side view of a foot according to the embodiment of FIG. 3.

[0013]FIG. 5. is an example of a quilting machine.

[0014]FIG. 6. is an example of a quilting template.

[0015]FIG. 7. is a foot according to the background art.

[0016]FIG. 8. is a side view of a foot according to FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] A typical quilting machine (500) is shown in FIG. 5. This includes a head (501) mounted on a long arm (503), supported by a column (505) above a bed (507). The bed (507) moves on wheels (509) supported in grooves (511) in longitudinal runners (513). The longitudinal runners (513) are further supported for movement on lateral runners (515), and the machine may be moved by the operator longitudinally or laterally by means of handles (517) attached by arms (519) to the head (501). The head (501) is provided with a needle assembly (521) and a foot (523), which is supported on a shaft (525).

[0018] A typical quilting template (600) is shown in FIG. 6. The template (600) includes a shaped surface (601) corresponding to the shape of line to be sewn in the fabric. Typically the template (600) may be made from a translucent plastic material such as acrylic, but it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that alternative materials may be employed.

[0019]FIGS. 7 and 8 show a foot for quilting machines according to the background of the invention. This foot includes a base (700), connected by a shank (701) to a clamp (702). The base (700) generally resembles a perforated disk, having a central aperture (706) through which the needle assembly may pass, having a generally conical inner surface (705) and having an outer surface including a conical section (704) and a beveled edge (703). The clamp (702) includes a shaft aperture (708) for mounting the foot and has a gap (709) that can be tightened by way of a set screw (707). The Applicant has found that when a foot of this type is used with a template (600), that the foot has a tendency to slip over or under the template, causing a large deviation in the path of stitches formed in the quilt.

[0020]FIGS. 1 and 2 show a foot according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, including a base (100) connected by a shank (100) to a clamp (102). The clamp (102) operates substantially as per the clamp of the background art, and is provided with a shaft aperture (108) for mounting the clamp (102) on a shaft, and is provided with a gap (109) that can be tightened by a set screw (109). It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that the foot may be attached to the shaft (525) on the quilting machine (500) by any convenient means known in the art. The base (100) includes an inner conical surface (105) and a central aperture (106), permitting the needle assembly (521) to pass through the foot. The outer surface of the present base (100) includes a curved lower part (104) and a straight or parallel upper surface or side wall (103). The height of the upper surface (103) is sufficient to prevent the foot from slipping over or under the template (600). This may, for example, be one-quarter of an inch, but it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the optimum dimension depends upon the thickness of the template (600). Further, the substantially vertical sides of the base (100) of the foot tend to prevent the foot from slipping over or under the template. The width of the base (100) may be, for example, three-quarters of an inch, but this is not critical. The Applicant has determined by experimentation that the foot according to the invention overcomes the problems of the background art, and does not slip over or under the template (600), so that the operator is able to follow the template (600) by using the foot as a guide. This technique is difficult or impossible to achieve with the foot of the background art.

[0021] An alternative embodiment of the foot of the invention is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The foot of FIGS. 3 and 4 includes a base (300) attached by a shank (301) to a clamp (302), the clamp (302) being provided with a shaft aperture (308) and a gap (309) adjusted by a screw (307). The base (300) is provided with a conical inner surface (305), a central aperture (306), and an outer surface or side wall (303) that is straight or parallel. A bottom or lower part (not shown) of the base (300) is therefore flat, instead of being shaped like the outer surface of a bowl, as in previous embodiment.

[0022] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the shank (101 or 301) of the foot may be attached to the shaft (525) of the quilting machine (500) by any suitable means without departing from the scope of the invention. Alternatively, the shaft (525) of the quilting machine (500) may be integral with the base (100 or 300) of the foot.

[0023] As will readily be appreciated by those skilled in the art, numerous modifications and variations of the above embodiments of the present invention are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. 

What is desired to be claimed in Letters Patent is:
 1. A foot for a quilting machine, comprising: a shank configured to be attached to said quilting machine; a base attached to said shank, said base comprising a side wall; wherein said side wall is substantially vertical.
 2. The foot according to claim 1, wherein: said base further comprises a lower part provided with an aperture for passage of a needle, said lower part being convex.
 3. The foot according to claim 1, wherein: said base further comprises a lower part provided with an aperture for passage of a needle, said lower part being substantially flat.
 4. The foot according to claim 1, wherein: a height of said side wall is sufficient to enable said base to follow a template without said base slipping with respect to said template, in a direction towards said template.
 5. The foot according to claim 4, wherein: said height is one quarter of an inch.
 6. The foot according to claim 5, wherein: said base further comprises a lower part provided with an aperture for passage of a needle, said lower part being convex.
 7. The foot according to claim 5, wherein: said base further comprises a lower part provided with an aperture for passage of a needle, said lower part being substantially flat.
 8. The foot according to claim 4, wherein: said base further comprises a lower part provided with an aperture for passage of a needle, said lower part being convex.
 9. The foot according to claim 4, wherein: said base further comprises a lower part provided with an aperture for passage of a needle, said lower part being substantially flat.
 10. A foot for a quilting machine, comprising: a shank configured to be attached to said quilting machine; a base attached to said shank, said base comprising a side wall; wherein a height of said side wall is sufficient to enable said base to follow a template without said base slipping with respect to said template, in a direction towards said template.
 11. The foot according to claim 10, wherein: said height is one quarter of an inch.
 12. The foot according to claim 11, wherein: said base further comprises a lower part provided with an aperture for passage of a needle, said lower part being convex.
 13. The foot according to claim 11, wherein: said base further comprises a lower part provided with an aperture for passage of a needle, said lower part being substantially flat.
 14. The foot according to claim 10, wherein: said base further comprises a lower part provided with an aperture for passage of a needle, said lower part being convex.
 15. The foot according to claim 11, wherein: said base further comprises a lower part provided with an aperture for passage of a needle, said lower part being substantially flat. 